The Answers: Why My Sister Alya Looks So Different

I’m a firm believer in the power of makeup; its transformative abilities to give you confidence and change the way you feel about yourself. That’s one of the reasons I started my blog; I wanted beauty to be accessible to everyone. This summer, I saw the difference beauty can make when my sister Alya asked me to give her a complete makeover. Of course, I couldn’t wait to help her feel more beautiful and see her more confident!

Alya isn’t obsessed with makeup like my sister Mona and I, it’s just not something she’s crazy about, and her appearance isn’t something she focuses on – she’ll tell you that herself. She always forgets her skincare routine, isn’t into having mani and pedis all the time, and is just generally very low maintenance, but she really wanted a huge change… So, we went all out!

Alya’s Complete Makeover:

One of the main things Alya wanted to change was her hair and the texture of her skin. So, we took full advantage of being in LA over the summer and visited the best salons and clinics. I took her to see a skin expert to half of Hollywood, Nurse Jamie. She’s the trusted beauty guru to celebs like Jessica Alba, the Kardashians, and Rita Ora, and I’m obsessed with her super-advanced skincare techniques. I love that Nurse Jamie is all about enhancing your natural beauty and making you the most beautiful version of yourself without invasive techniques; she was the perfect person to help give Alya confidence in her skin again.

FACE: Alya previously had cheek fillers, but they weren’t in the right place, so as Alya puts it, they gave her ‘chipmunk’ cheeks. Nurse Jamie, the ultimate filler expert, reduced the filler in Alya’s cheeks and under her eyes, by injecting hyaluronidase (an enzyme that speeds up the natural breakdown of hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvederm), and defined the cheekbones to give her a more contoured look. Nurse Jamie also used her filler skills on Alya’s lips, reshaping them, evening them out, and adding fullness to the top lip with Juvederm Vobella. Finally, Nurse Jamie worked her magic and retextured Alya’s skin to make it more even-toned using pixel laser therapy. The laser creates thousands of microscopic perforations in the surface of the skin, which prompts the skin to produce new collagen, leaving the skin smoother and more even-toned.

EYEBROWS: Everyone knows that the eyebrows completely transform the face, so this summer we all got our brows done by the incredibly skilled Microblading LA team. Our wonderful brow artist Lindsey Ta added fullness to Alya’s eyebrows and lifted them slightly by raising the outer arch for a more youthful and fresh look.

HAIR: Alya has been set on having her hair longer for soo long! A few months ago, Balmain added extensions to Alya’s hair for volume, but it was length that she was really craving. We went all out and added super long extensions (22 pieces of 20-inch extensions), and added soft honey tones to warm up her complexion and give her the ‘J-Lo look’ she wanted. Between bleaching, Alya got a keratin treatment to improve the strength of the hair before the color was added. Finally, Alya received a Brazilian Blowout to eliminate frizz and give shine, which maintains the health of the hair and lasts for around 12 weeks. Alya was so happy with the final result of her hair that she was intent on calling her transformation ratchet to Rapunzel 😂

SKINCARE: I’m still working on skincare with Alya, but she is super tricky because she gets so lazy with her cleansing routine! Luckily, Alya is naturally gorgeous, but she wants to wake up looking completely flawless without putting effort into her beauty routine, so I’m trying to make it as easy as possible for her to follow. I’ve given her five essential products to help smooth the texture of her skin, brighten her complexion, and keep any fine lines at bay:

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2: I love using this Clinique formula before my moisturizer, and it’s perfect for Alya’s slightly dry skin. It removes any flaky skin and excess oil, leaving your skin super fresh.
Dr. Doris Day’s Silky Foam Cleansing Mousse: This cleansing mouse by skincare expert Dr. Doris Day gets rid of all the dirt and oil that builds up during the day. It uses Lactic and Salicylic acids that exfoliate the skin gently and effectively.
SkinCeuticals Skin Firming Cream: I swear by this cream! It has incredible ingredients that are ideal for mature skin like mine and Alya’s, as it firms the skin, hydrates, and helps to tone and fight against environmental damage.
REN Rose O¹² Moisture Defence Oil: Every time I use this oil it makes my skin SO soft! It contains awesome oils like Jojoba seed, cranberry seed, and rose oils that soothe, soften and condition the skin, providing vital nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants so your skin can lock in moisture.
Dr. Doris Day’s Light & Bright Brightening Pads: These brightening pads contain some major ingredients that naturally exfoliate. Hydroxy acids penetrate deep into the skin and accelerate skin renewal, which helps reduce hyperpigmented cells. Alya uses this twice a week as her skin is very uneven.

BODY: Even though Alya is obsessed with fitness and is in amazing shape, she wanted to target some stubborn fat on her arms and waist. Nurse Jamie used her incredible SculpSure technique, which can reduce up to 23% fat in less than 30 minutes – I know, incredible! It’s the world’s first FDA cleared laser for permanent, localized fat reduction that works to break down fats and other lipids. It takes 4-6 weeks to see results with the full result showing from 3 months: Alya is already noticing a difference.

EYES: Literally every day since Alya was about 15, she’s worn colored contact lenses because she’s nearsighted. Alya finally had Lasik surgery, so she no longer needs to wear contacts – although she is majorly missing her lighter eyes.

NAILS: Maintenance is something Alya hates, so she’ll usually get her mani and pedi every 2-3 weeks. Mona and I have finally persuaded her to come for weekly pamper sessions at the Dollhouse with us.

The Result:

It’s been so incredible seeing how all these tiny little changes have made such a huge difference to how Alya feels about herself. It’s amazing to work with the best beauty experts, but it also really highlights the importance of finding the right doctors. Always make sure you see a verified doctor, because it’s all about enhancing your natural self, not changing your appearance, and finding the right doctor will make the biggest difference! We’re still working to improve Alya’s skincare routine and her wardrobe, so stay tuned for part two of Alya’s makeover.